


one of those days

by scorpiohs



Series: ficlets [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Anxiety, Mentions of Chronic Illness, Mentions of PTSD, Non-Serum Steve Rogers/Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes | Shrinkyclinks, Pining, Recovery, Roommates, Sleep, Spooning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29224122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpiohs/pseuds/scorpiohs
Summary: Steve can tell something’s wrong the second Bucky steps into their apartment. His best friend’s face is sullen and pale, his figure drooping as he shrugs off his coat.“Buck?” Steve comes to greet him at the door, and looks up at him with concern. He holds Bucky’s arm gently and stands steady so Bucky will have to look at him. He’d be worried that this was too much, too intimate for friends, but God knows how many times Bucky’s fawned over Steve when he’s been sick or looking like shit.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: ficlets [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100030
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29





	one of those days

Steve can tell something’s wrong the second Bucky steps into their apartment. His best friend’s face is sullen and pale, his figure drooping as he shrugs off his coat.

“Buck?” Steve comes to greet him at the door, and looks up at him with concern. He holds Bucky’s arm gently and stands steady so Bucky will have to look at him. He’d be worried that this was too much, too intimate for friends, but God knows how many times Bucky’s fawned over Steve when he’s been sick or looking like shit. Besides, he’s more than just friends with Bucky, even if they haven’t talked about it. 

“I’m okay,” Bucky finally says, placing his hand over Steve’s then pushing forward into their living room.

“Buck,” Steve repeats, trailing after him. “What happened?”

Bucky flops back onto the couch and kicks his boots off. Steve rushes to sit next to him.

“One of those days, you know?” Bucky confesses after a minute. “Long day at work, my arm acting up in any way it can… not enough sleep last night because the nightmares are back.”

Steve’s heart drops at that. He gets it, in a way: his body’s betrayed him more times than he can count and he’s lost plenty of nights’ sleep to anxiety. But he’ll never fully know what it’s like for Bucky. PTSD, a lost limb… He hates what Bucky’s had to go through.

“What can I do?”

When they ask each other this, it means anything. Anything they can do to make the other person feel better. They’re best friends and roommates and they would go to the ends of the Earth for each other. Steve knows that. Bucky knows it, too.

“Can we…” Bucky hesitates. “Will you join me if I lay down?”

“Of course,” Steve says, letting Bucky lead the way to his room.

Bucky slides under the covers slowly and lays down on his right side. Steve crawls in behind him, curling his body to fit around Bucky’s.

“Is this okay?” he whispers.

“Yes,” Bucky breathes, as Steve slips his arm around Bucky’s torso and pulls him closer.

They don’t often cuddle, or share a bed, or anything like that. Only when things are either really bad or really cold. But it hasn’t happened in years.

Steve exhales and presses his nose into the back of Bucky’s neck. It’s taking everything in him not to kiss the skin there, to try and communicate everything on his mind. That he loves him, that he’ll wait for him, that he’s always gonna be here.

Bucky relaxes into the touch and soon, Steve can hear him snoring lightly. He smiles, glad Bucky is resting. Maybe he should rest, too. There will be time to confess his love later. For now, he’ll hang onto this moment and let it inspire his dreams. 


End file.
